A 16 year old girl was found mutilated and killed in Gaya, Bihar, allegedly after being raped. The family says that the police refused to file an FIR, and the police claim it was ‘honour killing’.

Trigger alert: graphic details of violence against women.

Another horrid news of a teenage girl who was beheaded and her face burnt with acid in Bihar emerges, adding on to the list of cases where young girls are brutally disfigured, probably raped and killed to hide the crime. The family of the sixteen year who was killed suspect that she was raped and have complained that police refused to file the FIR. On the other hand, the police suspect that it is a case of ‘honour killing‘ and the family is hiding many facts.

The 16 year old went missing from her home on December 28th, and her decomposed body was found on Jan 6. The family claims that they have been trying to file a FIR, and are running from pillar to post to seek justice for the girl. After the delay by the police, many people especially women took out a rally demanding speedy action in the case, but sadly, this incident has been not covered by the main stream media. A few activists are running an online petition to seek justice for the girl.

According to the reports from local newspapers her breast were cutoff, acid poured on her face and her body was badly mutilated. While the family and police are blaming each other, it is to be noted how mercilessly again a 16 year old has been killed, refreshing the memories of the Delhi rape case, where the victim was sexually abused and her body mutilated before she succumbed to her injuries. The news of this horrible incident had shaken the nation, huge protests held, and literally thousands of people were out on the streets demanding justice to the victim.

Unfortunately the Bihar incident has failed to generate much outrage nor has it been widely covered by the media, reflecting a deep running bias about social injustice in places away from the national capital.

After the Delhi case demands were made to provide better protection for girls/ women, more stringent laws against sexual abuse/ harassment, but unfortunately even after years, nothing much has changed. There have been regular reports of brutal attacks on girls, but apart from a few TV debates and social media outrages, no substantial change has been seen. Even the role of police in investigating such cases is under scrutiny; the authorities are indifferent to the complaints and try to cover-up their failures by blaming the families. The way Asifa’s rape and murder was investigated raised many questions about the callous attitude of the authorities who are not trained in handling sensitive rape cases. Political parties use the cases for political mileage and attack each other.

Even if the police is right and it turns out to be a case of ‘honour killing’, the delay in filing the FIR needs to questioned. Whatever the reason, the fact is people who killed her have displayed their monstrous traits where the girl was violated and mutilated with no fear of law or justice, which is a highly disturbing trend.

Image source: YouTube

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